INTRODUCTION TO MANNERS & CUSTOMS OF BIBLE LANDS

THE BIBLE WRITTEN BY ORIENTALS? It is easy for Occidentals to overlook the fact that the Scriptures had their origin in the East, and that each one of the writers was actually an Oriental. Since this is so, in a very real sense the Bible may be said to be an Oriental Book. But many are quite apt to read into the Scriptures Western manners and customs, instead of interpreting them from the Eastern point of view.

Knowing Oriental manners and customs necessary to understand the Bible. Many passages of Scripture that are hard for the Westerner to understand, are readily explained by a knowledge of the customs and manners of Bible lands. On the other hand, to ignore this subject is to deprive one's self of a thorough mastery of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments.

A study of the manners and customs of Arabs of Bible lands invaluable. For many years the Arabs were the custodians of Palestine. In the seventh century, an army of Arabs broke away from Arabia and invaded the Near East. They brought with them the habits of life inherited from countless generations before them. Since they have lived in these lands ever since, they have largely become the conservators of the manners and customs of Bible times.

During the centuries, Arab customs largely unchanged. There are three classes of Arabs in these lands. First, there is the Nomad or Bedouin Arab, who is a shepherd and lives in tents. Second, there is the Peasant or Fellahin Arab, who is a farmer and usually lives in a village one-room house. Third, there is the City or Belladin Arab, who as a rule engages in business in the larger cities. The Belladin Arab has come in contact with western civilization more than the other classes, and therefore his manner of life has undergone a certain amount of change. On the other hand, the Peasant Arab has changed his customs very little, and the Nomad Arab practically none at all. Through the centuries the Arabs have for the most part considered it to be morally wrong to change their ancient customs. For this reason the manners and customs of Bible-land Arabs are very much the same as the Jews of Bible times. There are some exceptions to this rule, and most of those have to do with religious observances.

Sources of material about manners and customs of Bible-land Arabs. For information about the life-habits of the Arabs of the Near East we are indebted to natives of Bible lands, long time residents, missionaries, scholars, and travelers.

What about the customs of the so-called Jews who have returned to the new nation of Israel? The customs of these so-called Jews who are now returning from various parts of the world to the land of their fathers, will not be of great value for this study, because they are largely the customs of those lands from whence they have come, and in many cases that means Western customs. There may be a few of the returning Israelites and some of those who have lived long in the land, who have the old-time habits of life, especially religious observances, but those who do are very much in the minority.

Other sources of information about manners and customs of Bible times. Historians who have written about the time of CHRIST or of the Apostles have often given information about the manner of living of those days, and of even earlier days. Also the findings of archaeologists have been a valuable source of knowledge on this subject. Things unearthed by the spade, such as pottery, various articles of household furniture, remains of old houses, inscriptions, and the like, often reveal secrets of how men in the long ago lived and acted. Ancient civilizations lost to the world for centuries have been revealed to men by the work of excavators in Bible lands.

TENT DWELLINGS

IN THE BIBLE, living in tents is of ancient origin. It goes back before the days of Abraham. The first reference in the Scriptures to tent life is concerning the man Jabal, of whom it is said, “he was the father of such as dwell in tents” (Gen. 4:20). Following the Flood the Sacred Record says, “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem” (Gen. 9:27). The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived most of their lives in tents, in and around the land of Canaan. It was said of Abraham that he “pitched his tent” in the vicinity of Bethel (Gen. 12:8), and Jacob “pitched his tent before the city of Shechem” (Gen. 33:18). . . continue reading link

FOOD & THEIR PREPARATION OF EATING

WHAT KINDS OF FOOD did the ancient Israelites eat? “The ordinary food of the average Hebrew of Bible times was bread, olives, oil, buttermilk and cheese from their flocks; fruits and vegetables from their orchards and gardens; and meat on rare occasions.” Only a few more varieties would have to be added to make this a complete list of foods eaten in those days. . . continue reading link

DAILY ACTIVITIES

EARLY RISING: CONCERNING THE HOUR OF RISING, one writer has summed up the matter thus: The habit of early rising is all but universal in Palestine. The climate makes this a necessity for the greater part of the year, the heat being so great that hard labor is oppressive a few hours after sunrise. At early dawn laborers go to their work and travelers start on their journeys (James M. Freeman, Handbook of Bible Manners and Customs, p. 22). Many Bible passages indicate that the custom of early rising was practiced in those days. The Genesis account mentions an occasion when “Abraham rose early in the morning” (Gen. 22:3). The Book of Exodus tells that “Moses rose up early in the morning” (Exod. 34:4). And Scripture says that on a certain day “Job rose up early in the morning” (Job 1:5). Concerning the people who wished to hear Christ’s teachings, Luke says, “And the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him” (Luke 21:38). And Mark says of Yahshua (Jesus), “ And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35), Other such examples of early rising in the Scripture times could be added. . . continue reading link

MARRIAGE CUSTOMS

POLYGAMY IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES: THE MOSAIC LAW allowed polygamy among the Hebrew people. Wives were given certain protections against abuses, and there were various regulations regarding such marriages. There was, however, among the Israelites, a marked tendency toward monogamy. No doubt the main reason for this was that the custom of more than one wife was too expensive for most of the people (Theodore S. Soares, The Social Institutions and Ideals of the Bible, pp. 42, 43). . . continue reading link

DRESS & ORNAMENTATION

THE STYLES OF DRESS in Anglo-Saxon land are undergoing a constant change, whereas, in Eastern countries, the manner of dress today is largely the same as it was centuries ago (Year 1953). There is a prevalent view in the Bible lands that it is morally wrong to change anything that is ancient. Thus the prevailing Palestinian dress of modern times (except of the so-called Jew-ish who have supposedly returned to a land that has been claimed by them from various parts of the globe) is much as it was in the epoch that produced the Bible1. . . continue reading link